Baka Aka Atama
by BananaPropaganda
Summary: To the people of the city of Kyoto, Himura Kenshin had always seemed like the Obidient type deshi...Well they were wrong. And one itching, very pissed off Hiko Seijuro will testify against that statement.
1. Chapter 1:Baka Deshi!

To the people of the small towns that helped make up the city of Kyoto, Himura Kenshin had always been the Obedient-type deshi, always trailing quietly behind his shishou when the pair came into town. Polite, shy, and cute as a button was what the women from the mini-cities said, with his fiery hair and innocent amethyst eyes.

But the truth was, Himura Kenshin, Hiko Seijuro XIII's young student, was the I'm-Going-To-Act-Stupid-So-Everyone-Thinks-I'm-So-Cute-type deshi. True, little Kenshin wasn't a horribly rotten child, one who poked at small creatures with sticks or chased girls with said creatures in hand; but he was much more clever than he let on. In fact, there was only one single human in all of Japan who could tell that difference between his truly confused face and his plotting face—his shishou.

No, Hiko Seijuro had never actually been outsmarted by his bright student, though not from Kenshin's lack of trying. Countless times during the past year or so, Kenshin had tried to cause Hiko to fall victim to one of his harmless pranks, but had, each and every time, failed.

One would think that childish jokes such as these would only an annoyance to a proud man such as Hiko Seijuro, but in truth (a truth which he could only bear to admit to himself, because of the pure, mushy indignity of it), he was relieved by Kenshin's immature behavior. When he had first 'adopted' Kenshin, he had been shy and blindly subservient; which was not healthy for any child, let alone a future master of Hiten Mitsurugi.

So Hiko, with his usual arrogance, permitted Kenshin to continue his tricks, keeping well in mind that his baka deshi could never actually catch _him_ in one of his little traps. Never.

X

Besides Kenshin's "deshi-type," it was also a little known fact that Kenshin had a slight tendency to lose touch with reality on dreary, cloudy days; only when, of course, he wasn't occupied with his training or chores. It had always seemed so perfect and peaceful to him on those days, the days that threatened thunderstorms that never actually came. It was relaxing, and the hazy air tended to make him unusually lazy.

These "Grey Days," as dubbed by Kenshin himself, seemed to have the opposite effect on his shishou, whose irritability increased tenfold on these days (if that was even possible). This may well have had something to do with the ludicrous fact that he always seemed to have a rather low supply of sake on the Grey Days—and Kenshin found that there was _nothing_ scarier than a Sakeless Shishou.

The young red head pondered this one day while sitting against a tree, thunder sounding from somewhere over Kyoto. He thought it so odd that the amount of sake left in Hiko's stash seemed to have control of both the weather _and _the man's attitude. His head began to drift pleasantly, with entertaining thoughts of alcohol and Chibi-Shishous who could change the weather with a snap of their tiny fingers filling his mind.

Then, there was a real snapping of fingers from somewhere outside of his head. Kenshin cracked a single violet eye open, to find a very un-chibified Hiko towering over him and looking royally pissed off about something or other.

"Oi!" he growled, waving a small wooden bucket in front of his student's nose in a rather overly dramatic fashion "We need water, baka, _water_! You've dreamt the day away, so now go fetch some water! Yare, yare, what's wrong with you?"

As the huge swords master turned away, tossing the bucket behind him (which narrowly missed Kenshin's head) and muttering darkly, his stubborn apprentice stuck his tongue out at him, grudgingly pulling himself off of the tree and picking up the wooden bucket, heading towards the shack to grab another one and something to carry them over his shoulder with. This was all done with a lot of moping and stomping. Fetching water wasn't the most dignified thing he could be doing, after all. His shishou, who was sitting by his kiln, drinking, of course, what little sake he had left at this point, gave him a wicked grin as he dragged himself out of the mountain clearing, towards a nearby stream.

X

Kenshin dragged his feet the entire way to the creek, cursing under his breath, with a "tyrant" added in here and there. Life wasn't fair for poor, lowly baka deshis, not fair at all—another life lesson learned that hard way from the fabulous Hiko Seijuro XIII. All hail, et cetera, et cetera.

Shaking his head dramatically, the boy complained to the gurgling water and any forest-dwelling creatures unfortunate enough to hear his whining. Nothing quite as foul or sarcastic as his earlier mutterings, but a pathetic, miserable mix of whimpering and sniffling. "Shishou can never leave me alone, no, not even for a day. It's always 'Baka do this, Baka do that!' He's the baka!"

Apparently the water was tired of his whining, as it suddenly came up and splashed him in the face as he was kneeling by it, filling up the first bucket. It found it's way up his nose and he choked, rubbing at his face. Apparently, some Kami had also gotten fed up with his whining (or perhaps his weather-controlling Chibi-Shishou), because it had actually started to _rain_. This no longer qualified it as a Grey Day, but as a Rainy Day, which Kenshin loathed with a passion, because Hiko _usually_ made him practice even harder in the rain, which _usually_ ended in a cold or a fever.

Sighing silently, not wishing to further anger whatever God was upset with him, Kenshin filled the other bucket as quickly as he could manage, slung the both of them over his shoulder, and started the long walk back to the hut.

Several times, the wind had picked up and nearly blown his tiny body over, sending a huge slosh of water splashing into the ground, forcing him to turn around and refill the bucket until he was thoroughly drenched.

X

Once he got into the thick underbrush of the forest, it wasn't quite so bad. It provided shelter from the wind and decreased the flow of the rain enough so that he could actually see three feet in front of himself. Red hair waterlogged and heavy, he hung his head—allowing him to see the various plants on the forest floor.

Kenshin was normally never the Revengeful-type deshi, either. But as he marched, soaked to the bone and shivering, something came over him when that particular three-leaved plant came into the boy's view. A small grin came over his face and, unbeknownst to him, his huge eyes shifted to a bright amber color as a wicked plot began to form in his clever little head.

Tearing off a large strip of fabric from his gi, he wrapped several of the glistening plants in the cloth, careful not to touch it.

X

Kenshin cracked the door of the hut open slightly, not wanting to bring several pounds of water flooding in. "Ano…Shishou?"

Hiko turned slightly towards the door, olive eyes widening when he saw the boy. Of course, he had sensed his ki from a mile away, and a little dampness was to be expected after the heavy and sudden rain shower (in fact, he wouldn't have been satisfied if Kenshin had come back completely dry), but _this_…this looked like he had actually gone _swimming_. And rolled around in the mud for good measure. His thin frame was shaking and he looked about ready to pass out under the weight of the two buckets slung across his shoulders.

"Yare, yare, Kenshin. What, did you not take cover from the rain under the trees?" he sighed, receiving a sneeze, a sniffle, and a nod from the boy as a reply. "Get out of those clothes and under a blanket or something." Kenshin did as he was told without protest, setting the buckets of water carefully down on the floor, all the while sniffling. Hiko noticed that he was taking great care in taking off his dark blue gi, but decided it was because he didn't want to get even muddier than he already was. He took the same precautious measures with his hakama, folding both articles of clothing neatly, not touching the collar or sleeves of his shirt or the tie of his once white pants.

Hiko took them and directed Kenshin to put something else on, and brushed past him, outside to the laundry tub, rolling up his sleeves. He wanted the filthy garments clean, even if he had to do it himself. As a start, he looked to see why Kenshin was avoiding certain parts of them.

_Probably bugs or spiders or something balled up in them, _he assured himself, beginning to unroll the gi's collar. No squirming insect rolled out onto the ground. In fact, only a few glossy leaves drifted out of the only part of the fabric that was still dry, onto his uncovered arms.

With a moment of stupidity, Hiko examined a leaf, laying it flat on his palm. Then he reached up Kenshin's gi's sleeve, pulling out a fist full of the sprouts, all of them hidden carefully in spots where they wouldn't touch Kenshin's arms. There was a scampering of feet, as Kenshin, freshly clothed and clearly not sick, took of with something that resembled godlike speed down the mountain. With about a week's worth of food under his arms.

That was when realization dawned.

"KENSHIN NO BAKA!" Hiko snarled, immediately releasing the poison ivy enclosed in his fists, not even bothering to check what was in the folds of the tie part of Kenshin's muddied hakama. "GET YOUR SCRONNY ASS BACK HERE SO I CAN BEAT IT! OI! I SAID GET BACK HERE! KENSHIN!"

Now, normally, Hiko would have followed, and probably would have caught up, too, but, naturally, he was a little preoccupied with scratching his palms.

X

Let it be known that on June Twelfth, 1859, Himura Kenshin, the insolent baka deshi, had outsmarted the _fabulous_ Hiko Seijuro XIII.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

A/N- I just found out today that my Aunt has poison ivy, and I thought up this story weeks ago. Creepy…sort of.

Do I really think Kenshin was a rebellious brat? No, but it was fun to write. Obedience is no fun, after all! Everyone loves a tea-dumping Rebel…or something like that… Hope you liked, please R&R!

Oh, yeah, I don't own, hence the term fanfiction.


	2. Chapter 2:Baka Shishou!

A/N-Inspired by the picture from episode 43, with Hiko sitting atop a cloud, snickering down at a curled-up Kenshin.

Baka Aka Atama—Chapter Two

Two and a half days after his departure, Kenshin returned to the mountainside shack sopping wet, hunched over, sallow-faced and sick for real this time.

Dragging his feet slowly, he marched into the clearing, past a lounging Hiko, who had sensed him coming long before, accompanied by a certain ragged tiredness in his usually lively ki. And behold—the reason for this! The man didn't say a word, but with the mocking look he had plastered across his face, he might as well have just pointed and laughed.

Kenshin sent a half-hearted glare out of the corners of his eyes, but otherwise ignored his smirking and tromped into the cottage, collapsing on the nearest soft thing he could find. Staring up at the rather shabby looking ceiling, he felt his eyelids start to gain weight, as they slowly pulled shut.

"Oi! Get off my bed!" Hiko called from somewhere outside, causing Kenshin to pull his eyes open again and softly curse the man's annoyingly perfect intuition. He rolled off of the futon, onto the floor, and lay there, not feeling the motivation or strength to move to his own shorter bed.

X

After he was sure Kenshin wasn't going to poke his head out of the cabin, Hiko uncrossed his arms and began itching like a dog, a scowl plastered across is features. His palms, arms, and even the tops of his hands were still disgustingly red and blistered—something that wasn't _at all_ Hiko-esque, especially since it made using a sword…well, maybe not painful, but very, very irritating.

And what was worse, was the fact that he couldn't think of any way to get the little brat back for it, short of child abuse, no matter how hard he wracked his brain for ideas

X

After a good hour of tossing and turning across the floor, Kenshin decided that sleep, however tired he was, wouldn't come on a wooden floor, and certainly not when his clothes were still damp. Turning on his back and sprawling out his limbs, the boy once again traced the cracks in the ceiling with his lavender eyes, going over in his head exactly _why_ he was stuck doing this, and why he was doing it with a runny nose.

Two and a half days earlier, he had taken off down the mountain at a speed he hadn't known himself to be capable of, thinking (well, _knowing_) that he would have to give his shishou a few days to calm down, at the very least. He had stopped running once he hit the very bottom of the mountain to catch his breath, and walked to the closest village from there.

The very second he had stepped into city limits it had started to _pour_. It didn't even start in a drizzle—it just spontaneously came down in bucketfuls.

And it hadn't stopped for even a minute. Not until, that is, he dragged himself back to the foot of the mountain (where it came to an abrupt stop).

Once again, the boy considered the idea that his shishou had the ability to control the weather. Except this time, it was just a sarcastic thought. It didn't really seem like the odd but silly little thing that it had been a few days before, but an eerie not-quite-coincidence.

He let his mind roll over the idea a few times. Well, it certainly had been raining a lot lately…and Hiko wasn't exactly bubbly.

Shivering at the thought, he wrenched himself off the floor and peered out one of the small covered windows of the hut, violet eyes scanning the sky—_now_ it was bright, sunny and cloudless, of course. Next, the boy's vision drifted to Hiko, who was happily sipping away at a rather large jug of sake, his features twisted into an amused smile (Kenshin was happy to see him itching his arms every so often, however). After a few minutes, the swords master scowled and brought a hand up to massage his temples. Upon noticing the sudden mood swing, his deshi glanced back up at the sky, just as a few small, grayish clouds floated into view over the clearing.

He whipped around and slid down the back of the wall until he was flat on his bottom.

"Sh-shishou…he just…I…It can't be. It's impossible…"

Clutching a shaking hand to his chest, the swordsman-in-training slowly picked himself off of the ground, heading back outside.

X

Hiko sighed. Despite how amusing Kenshin's current condition was, a sick apprentice wouldn't be up to doing anything—specifically the laundry or cooking—so it would probably be in his best interest to get the little whelp back to normal as soon as possible.

Not to mention he had absolutely no idea of how to repay the brat for his rash-covered hands and arms.

So, luckily, Kenshin gave him an idea.

The sick child timidly poked his red head out of the door. "Ano…shishou?"

"What is it now, baka deshi?" Hiko asked, his scowl quickly deepening.

"D-Do you…control the weather?"

Glad he was facing away from his student; his grin grew as he almost burst out in a fit of laughter, before deciding to take complete advantage of the situation. Turning towards Kenshin with a straight face, he said, "Of course. I thought I had told you before. I didn't? Well, no wonder you've been so disobedient lately."

Kenshin's eyes grew wider. He hadn't been able to find even the slightest trace of sarcasm in Hiko's tone—in fact, the man had sounded truly surprised. Finally grasping the whole idea, he swiftly bowed his head. "Gomen nasai, shishou. For the poison ivy."

"Aa," Hiko sniffed, nodding and crossing his arms over his chest. "Of course you're sorry _now_. And that's shishou-_sama _from now on!"

"H-hai shishou…err, shishou-sama!" the boy choked, wiping his red nose with the sleeve of his gi. Looking thoughtful, he added, "Demo…does that mean you were the one who caused the flooding last year? A lot of people died in that flood…"

Hiko shrugged dismissively. "Yeah, I wasn't in the best of moods, that's all." Then, as an afterthought, he added, "It could very easily happen again. Now go catch a fish or something. It's getting to be around suppertime. And while you're at it, get some cool water fresh from the waterfall. They say it works wonders on poison ivy."

Without a second's hesitation, Kenshin took off, pausing only to grab two empty buckets on his way, not wishing for any more sudden rain showers while he was out.

X

Watching the red head of his apprentice bob quickly away, Hiko was finally able to snicker and grin—Kenshin had simply set himself up! How completely perfect.

Still, he was sick...

All of the guilt that Hiko might have felt was suddenly gone at a light twinge on his palm and began itching madly.

So what if he was sick? This experience would build character. Yes.

Now that the boy had fallen into his own self-inflicted delirium-induced trap, his shishou began his wicked plotting, reaching into the far depths of his brain for something especially cruel.

_What a sheltered child, _Hiko mused._ How could he honestly believe that I control the weather, sick or not? Well…he was a slave. After I'm done with my revenge, I'll have to get to teaching him simple stuff like that._

Pushing any other sentimental thoughts away, the swords master sat by his warm kiln and diabolically planned.

X

The soon-to-be-abused deshi returned surprisingly quickly, his cheeks deeply flushed and his eyes half-shut. Carefully setting down the buckets of water first, he dropped to his knees in front of Hiko, who hadn't moved from his place near the kiln, shoving his face a little too close to the ground. "Gomen, shishou-sama! I…I forgot the fishing pole!"

"Baka deshi," Hiko sighed dramatically. "What to do with you? Well, it's not that big of a deal, I suppose. We'll just have some vegetable stew. Now start cooking."

Kenshin nodded and stood up, brushing of his now dirty hakama and then rushing into the shack to start dinner. His shishou sulked. These were the chores that the boy did on a daily basis! He was positive he could think of something, but not so sure how long he could keep Kenshin believing that what sort of day it was relied on his mood. Not to mention, he would have to constantly look up at the sky for any changes and synchronize his attitude with such.

This revenge would require quite a bit of work on his part.

X

Kenshin awoke the next morning feeling no better than he had the day before, and possibly worse. Despite his condition, however, he noticed an absent shishou and rubbed his eyes, deciding to spare a peek out the window to find what sort of mood Hiko had awoken in.

It was gray out. Clouded over and dark, with thunder rumbling off in the distance. His so-dubbed "Gray Days", the days he had formerly adored, suddenly became a horrid nightmare.

He contemplated hiding, but he knew that would cause Hiko to become even more pissed—and that the huge swords master would eventually find him anyway—and thus, ruled the option out. Groveling would work better.

"Looking at something, Kenshin?"

The small child slowly turned around, hands shaking slightly. "Sh-shishou-sama! I didn't know where you were! Is there something you would like?"

"No, not really," Hiko answered, nonchalantly taking a look outside. "It looks an awful lot like it's going to rain. A lot… Come to think of it, though, I would like very much for you to catch some fish today. And I think you should catch them with your bare hands—and they've got to be big. I figure at least as long as your arm."

"M-my arm!" Kenshin yelped, losing his bowing-down demeanor and waving said body part around. "Are there even fishes that big?"

"Are you questioning me?" Hiko snapped, a perfectly-timed roll of thunder growling after his words.

"Shishou-sama, you wouldn't really flood the village, would you?"

"Kenshin, you're really trying my patience today. Now go."

Sniffling pathetically, he did as he was instructed, not even thinking to change out of his sleeping yukata or straighten out his frizzy hair first. He was out the door in record time, leaving a snickering "shishou-sama" behind."

Left in peace, Hiko scowled at his deshi's poison-ivy infested gi, sitting in a crumpled ball in the very center of everything. Besides any leaves or oils left behind in it, the thing was in tatters (it was Kenshin's favorite, and he would wear it until Hiko complained that it smelled rotten and demanded it be washed), probably not even worth fixing up and washing anymore. Which meant the brat would need a new one. And a new pair of hakama and zouri, too. He sighed

_It'd probably be cheaper to get the little baka a single-piece kimono. Worst thing is, he could look _good_ in a kimono…_

The swords master blinked. Then, slowly, his lips pulled up into a grin so devious that it would've sent a trained warrior sprinting in the opposite direction.

X

Hours later, the boy stumbled through the door, falling flat on his front side. "Shishooouuu-samaaaaa…" he moaned, slowly pushing a bucket out in front of him. "There's no fish as big as my arm. I checked." He wiped his nose on the corner of his wet gi. "But I caught a little one. C-can I sleep now?"

"Nope," Hiko said calmly, grinning. "We've got to go into town for something. To make the rain stop."

"But shishou-sama, can't you do that by yourself?"

"I could. But I'm _asking_ you to help."

Kenshin winced. With _that_ tone, his shishou wasn't _asking_ for anything. He was demanding it...

He stood up solemnly and headed right back out the door, head hanging, while Hiko smirked and strode after him, down the mountain.

X

"I like this one. It's very pretty." Kenshin fingered the soft magenta fabric in his hands, noting the delicate sakura blossoms embroidered into it with bright silver thread. "But, shishou-sama…why are we looking at women's kimonos?"

"That one, huh?" Hiko mused, ignoring the boy's question and taking the kimono from him. "Okay. Ma'am, we'll take this one," he called gingerly to the shopkeeper, causing Kenshin's brows to furrow deeply.

_What in the world…_

"Come on, Kenshin, let's go."

"H-hai, shishou-sama." The pair left the small shop, walking back into the muddy streets and the cold rain. "Ano…that kimono looks about my size, shishou-sama…"

Hiko turned and handed the fabric to Kenshin, smiling sweetly. "It is your size, baka. Now put it on."

"D-demo!"

"Ah! Careful, you _do_ want the rain to stop, don't you? The river seems to be getting rather high…"

The boy's face fell. He looked close to tears. "I need to wear this!"

"It's a very intricate ceremony, baka deshi! The first step is to find a kimono to your liking, one that is a perfect fit! You picked this one, and now you're gonna wear it! Now hurry!"

He glumly took the article, coughing away, the cool raindrops making his nose run (well…run more, anyway), hoping to get the whole thing over with, and wrapping it around himself, fiddling with the light pink obi sash for quite a while. He finally managed an ugly bow and sighed, "What now?"

Hiko's smile widened. It was actually rather creepy… "The second step is to…"

X

"Look! Look at me, Himura Kenshin, the flying _BAKA! _But I sure am a pretty BAKA, ne!"

Several women taking cover under the canopies of shops turned at the sound, gawking at the source of the noise.

"Oh my…what in the world…?"

One well-known red-headed deshi was skipping merrily through the muddy streets, wearing a rather…_vibrant_ kimono, wailing out self insults as he passed, his cheeks rather rosy.

He coughed loudly, and then continued as he passed a small teahouse. "Oh yes, I am a _baka_, but I am _far_ more beautiful than any geishas!" He turned and went back towards his starting point. "Pretty but oh-so-silly, hai, hai! Pity me and adore me, for I am cuter than that stray cat, but much stupider, hai, hai!"

He dropped in the middle of the street, smack dab in a huge mud puddle, sitting on his knees and pressing his nose almost to the ground. "Please, please, wonderful shishou of mine, make the rain stop!" He continued kneeling for a few quick moments, before standing up and darting into another street, leaving everyone on his last street completely dumbfounded and in awe.

X

_Revenge is so sweet, baka deshi,_ one Hiko Seijurou thought casually, listening to the distant echoes of said deshi's cries.

_I just hope he doesn't favor the color pink when he's older…_

X

A/N—If it sucked, I'm very sorry. I've been trying to think of something all summer, finally got an idea, wrote a good few pages worth, then lost the data because my dad's laptop crashed… Then tried re-writing it, couldn't remember a lot of it, dad fixed his laptop, reread both versions of the chapter, fused together the lines I liked most, let it sit for the first two weeks of field hockey season (I was too sore to get to the computer…T.T), and then finally just said screw it and finished it up with a makeshift idea. I don't think it turned out that bad…but it could be better. Sorry for the long lapse, and sorry if it's not as good as the first chapter. (Though I promise the third will be the best so far…wait…third? I'm digging my own grave here…)

Anyway, there were some debatable parts, but I hope you all enjoy it despite that.

Paws


	3. Chapter 3:A Waffy Intermission

Baka Aka Atama: Chapter Three

Yes, it had been funny. Yes, the brat had deserved it.

But it certainly hadn't been very intelligent.

Despite getting his revenge, and basking in that thought for a few mere moments, Hiko's internal joy at getting back at Kenshin evaporated upon lightly putting a hand to the boy's forehead, which had been dangerously hot.

Apparently, having an already sick deshi running around in the cold, heavy rain, sticking his nose into mud puddles was _not_ a very smart thing to do. Whoops!

_Kuso_, Hiko moped, upon hearing Kenshin delve into yet another coughing fit from his futon. _My ability to control the weather certainly won't be helping me now_.

"Ano…shishou-sama…?" aforementioned baka deshi moaned from behind his exasperated master, who was attempting to fix something warm and edible for the boy.

"Drop the '-sama,' baka," Hiko growled back, growing steadily more annoyed at the clump of rice he was handling, which refused to stick together. "I already told you I don't really control the weather, and you would've realized that much sooner if you hadn't been half-delirious with this cold of yours! Yare, yare! You're such a burden!"

…

"Gomen, shishou," Kenshin choked, in a barely audible tone. Hiko turned questioningly towards him, to find the corners of his bright violet eyes tearing up slightly.

Then he sneezed, and broke out into full-force sobs, wailing, "I'm so sorry, shishou!" over and over.

Hiko, despite being the controlled man he was, actually took a step backwards at the start of Kenshin's sudden moody outburst, caught completely off guard by the plump tears rolling down his cheeks.

_This…this must be some weird symptom of his cold,_ the swords master mused, while stupid standing halfway across the room from his ill student, staring with one eyebrow quirked, and mouth slightly agape. "Oi! Stop that! Kenshin no baka!"

If possible, he cried harder.

Hiko blinked, completely out of his element with _this_. He started slowly towards the boy, as if he were some exotic and very dangerous animal. "Kenshin…"

_Damn. I still sound like I'm scolding him._

He attempted to adjust his voice to a softer tone, failing miserably with his first few times, finally getting it right with the fourth.

"Kenshin, you really can be dense sometimes."

The boy looked up and wiped his eyes. "Wh-what?"

"You heard me," Hiko sighed, knowing he was heading right for all of the horrid, _mushy _things that were usually avoided at all costs.

_Oh well_, he internally groaned. _Kenshin's so sick, he probably won't remember anyway…Well, here goes nothing._

"You silly, silly boy. You are my _student_, not a_ burden_. I chose to teach you, so I must have seen something in you, correct?"

"I…I guess so," Kenshin murmured back.

"You guess so?" Hiko continued in a light, almost laughable tone. "That's not good enough, you should have said, 'Absolutely, shishou!' You're my top priority, boy! And if a few harsh words are going to make you sulk, then you're more of a baka than I've ever thought! Now think, if you were really just an annoyance to me, would I even be going through all of this trouble, making you a warm bed and dealing with this rather rebellious clump of rice?"

"Maybe…" he mumbled, looking down.

"No way in hell! If you were anyone else, I would've already hauled your sorry little butt back down _my_ mountain, and thrown you on the doorstep of some poor, unsuspecting townsperson, who would stare down upon your red hair, come to the conclusion that you are a demon, and repeat the process."

This inspired a small giggle from somewhere beneath Kenshin's mop of bright hair. "They would not!"

"Oh, it's true, baka deshi! So no whining, or else you'll end up being the target of any angry mob of townspeople!"

"You would come and save me, shishou! From the mob!"

"Aa," he agreed, lips drawn up in a smirk. "Not only because you are my only, and very much loved student, but because I am such a generous and forgiving man. Don't forget that one either."

"Hai." He sneezed again, but then thrust his arms outward and looked expectantly towards his master, grinning goofily. "You said I was 'very much loved!' Hug?"

"Don't push it."

"Onegai…" Kenshin begged, pouting.

Hiko internally clapped a hand to his forehead. He knew he had been heading in a bad direction. "…Fine," he agreed, wincing, and then awkwardly wrapping his arms around the boy's small frame, feeling like a complete moron for the first few moments, but gradually relaxing.

He is my only student after all…

The moment was ruined when Kenshin suddenly grasped a corner of Hiko's red-and-white cape, and blew his softly flushed nose on it.

X

A/N- In all honesty, I don't know where this came from. There was to be something involving Kenshin being sick, and this is what happened… .' I can't claim to be particularly good with waffy stuff, so sorry if the two seem a bit OOC. But I don't think it turned out too badly. I actually wrote a bit at one of my field hockey games, while the Varsity was playing. (In field hockey, the Varsity always plays before the JV, which is very annoying.) The other team's goalie actually got hurt and an ambulance came… so I had a lot of time to write, really.

Er…well, yes. Besides that, the next chapter will be back to shishou and deshi clawing each other's eyes out! (Not literally, of course… Well…nah.) I hope you liked my short little intermission, and I'll be trying really hard to get the next chapter up ASAP.


End file.
